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Lei Pastourèu   , (bis) , (ter) , (quater)
(The Shepherd Lads)
Lyrics and music by Nicolas Saboly, known as Micoulau Sabòli. Traditional from Provence.
Tune Dans ce beau jour (By this nice day).
Nicolas Saboly has proposed four versions for this Christmas carol, whose first one is on familiar tune Dans ce beau jour (By this nice day).
This Christmas carol has been published on 1670 in the 4th book. It appears with number 29 in the Fr. Seguin’s new edition. It is part of the cycle entitled Histori de la naissenso dou Fis de Diou (History of God’s Son birth) made up of the seven carols from #25 to #31.
See also Lu Pastourèu (County of Nice) and Nouvè doi Boiroulencs.
| 1st verse |
Lei pastourèu
An fach uno assemblado,
Lei pastourèu
An tengu lou burèu.
Aqui chascun a di sa rastelado
E s’es counclu, la paraulo dounado,
D’ana
Vers lou pichot qu’es na. | | The shepherd lads
Have done a gathering,
The shepherd lads
Have sat on a committee (1).
Here, everyone said his “raking (2)”
And it concluded, word given,
To go
To the child who was born. |
2nd verse |
Toutes ensèn
Se soun mes en campagno,
Toutes ensèn
Em’un fort mauvai tèm.
Es bèn verai que lei gènt dei mountagno
Soun fach à tout, cregnon rèn la magagno.
S’envan
E laisson sei caban. | | All together
They get under way,
All together
With a very bad weather.
It’s really true that people from mountains
Become used to everything, they are not afraid of tiredness.
They go
And leave their cabin. |
3rd verse |
Coume faran
Pèr noun senti la biso ?
Coume faran ?
Ai pòu que périran.
Tous seis abi soun que de telo griso,
Soun tous trauca, li veson la camiso ;
Lei trau
Tènon pas gaire caud ! | | How will they do
To feel not the North wind?
How will they do?
I’m afraid they perish.
All their clothes are only made of grey (rough) canvas,
They all get holed, it is seen their shirt.
Holes
Aren’t really warm! |
4th verse |
Quint fre que fai !
Vount èi ma camisolo ?
Quint fre que fai !
Se dis lou gros Gervai.
Sènte deja que lou cors me tremolo ;
Siéu tout jala, pode pas tira solo ;
Lou fre
Me fai boufa lei det. | | How cold is the weather!
Where is my pea jacket?
How cold is the weather!
Thinks the fat Gervais.
I feel already my body trembling;
I’m frozen stiff, I can’t anymore pull [the] sole (3);
The cold
Makes my fingers inflate. |
5th verse |
Nòstei pastras,
A tres ouro sounado,
Nòstei pastras
Arribon dins lou jas.
Lou capèu bas e la tèsto courbado,
Van, tout courrènt, saluda l’acouchado
E fan
L’acoulado à l’enfant. | | Our shepherds,
At three o’clock gone,
Our shepherds
Arrive in the shelter.
Their hat down and the head bent,
They go, running, and greet the new mother
And give
Embrace to the child. |
6th verse |
Laisson au sòu
Dous o tres bon froumage,
Laisson au sòu
Uno dougeno d’iòu.
Jòusè li dis : « Fasès que fugués sage.
Tournas-vous-en, e fasès bon vouiage.
Bergié,
Prenès voste counjiet. » | | They leave on the ground
Two or three beautiful cheeses,
They leave on the ground
One dozen of eggs.
Joseph said them: “Let do to be wise.
Go back and have a good journey.
Shepherds,
Here is your leave.” |
1. An tengu lou burèu: “to keep office” (to sit on a committee meeting) was, in Avignon, the accepted way of saying about a secular meeting.
2. A di sa rastelado: said all he learned, all he has accumulated. The rastelado means what it can be accumulated with the rastèu (the rake).
3. Pode pas tira solo: I can’t pick my foot up; from solo, sole of the foot, among mankind.
| Bibliography | | • | Saboly (Nicolas), Histori de la naissenso dou Fis de Diou composado en noé (History of God’s Son birth composed in Christmas carols), Pierre Offray printer, Avignon, 1670, p. 9-11. | | • | Recueil des noëls composés en langue provençale (Collection of Christmas carols composed in Provençal language), reprint Fr. Seguin, printer and bookseller, Avignon, 1856, p. 33-35. |
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